Flowmeter



March 31, 1942.

v; E. HOFFMAN ETA;

mow METER Filed' Jan. 1940 INVENToRs. [riet-r7- /FELM un #oFF/14N.

VAN BY uid on opposite sides thereof.

Patented Mar.' 31,l 1942 FLOWMETER Vance E. Hoffman and Everett F. Keim, Corning,

N. Y., assignors to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New, York Application January s, 1940, serial No. 312,743

(cl. 'z3- 211) bams.

Our invention relates to laboratory apparatus and particularly to an improved form of ow meter.

In one of the past forms of flow meters with` which applicants are familiar a disk having a small fluid metering aperture therethrough is arranged between a anged coupling of a fluid conducting pipe line and the rate of flow determined jointly by the size of the aperture through the disk and the diierenceI in pressure of the Such an arrangement is quite sa a permanent installation where the uid flow to be measured is within certain limited ranges.

For general laboratory work, however, it is often desirable to modify the date of ow without unduly changing the pressure. 'In the form of construction hereinbefore referred to, the conduit has to be opened up and a diierent insert placed therein.

An object of the present invention is an improved form of flow meter.

Another object is an all simple design.

A further object is a ow meter so designed and constructed that the volume of ow for a given pressure can be readily modified.

glass flow meter of A still further object is a flow meter capable of measuring a greater `range of rates-of flow than has been possible by` prior forms of ow meters.

Fig, 1 of the accompanying drawing illustrates one form of flow meter assembly embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates an alternative form of one part of the assembly of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view si'rnilar to Fig. 2 of a further form of our invention.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing the flow meter body comprises a bottle neck portion Il having laterally extending tubular portions I 2` and I3 for connection in a fluid line and having side openings in'communication with the ends of a U tube I6 for a liquid employed to indicate the rate of ow. The neck portion II `is internally tapered and ground to accommodate a hollow stopper and flow restricting member I5. 'I'his stopper has a side opening I6 in its wall allowing the free flow of uid into the stopper from tubular portion I2 of the body and a constricted opening I'I in communication with the tubularportion I3.

In operation, a suitable `liquid is introduced;

.'sfactory for ply line, assuming the ow being in the direction indicated, the constricted aperture will cause a predetermined drop in pressure in portion I3, and accordingly this difference in pressurel will cause uid in the leg I8 of U tube I4 to be forced downward and that in leg I9 to be correspondingly raised. With a known size of aperture I1 the volume of flow can thus'be determined.

The form of the stopper illustrated in Fig. 1

is yonly suitable for use when measuring rates of ow within the limited range permitted.l by aperture I'I and accordingly to measure rates of ow beyond such range requires substitution of a.

stopper having a different size opening. It is lto meet the need for ian assembly which-can measure a wider range of rates of flow that the stopper illustrated in Fig. 2 has been designed. This stopper. has a relatively thick wall and is wide open at the bottom end. The side wall is, on the other hand, provided with a plurality of openings 20 of graduated sizes adapted to be select ively brought into register with the laterally extending tubular portion l2 of neck I I so that a plurality of ranges or rates of fluid ow can be measured by use of the same stopper and without the necessity of removing it from the ow meter body. As will be observed, the portions of these openings adjacent the neck wall are countersunk to remove any danger of their becoming plugged by lubricant used on the stopper and neck wall surfaces. Also the stopper has aperture size identifying numerals, such as the numeral 4 for example, which when lined up with the tubular portion I2 indicate to an operator the opening being used.

The stopper 30 shown in Fig. 3 is also adapted for substitution for the stopper I5 and has uid -metering passages 3I in permanent communi- '-the instrument functions equally well with the y.direction of flow reversed. Obviously, if the direction of ow is reversed, the fluid in leg I9 of` the U tube will be forced downward and that in 'leg I8 correspondingly raised, otherwise the operation will b e the same as already described.

What is claimed is: 1. In an all glass flow meter, a hollowbody having a tapered open end, tubular extensions communicating with the interior of the body, a readily replaceable plug tapered to iit into the open end of the body a distance below one of its tubular extensions andr stopping at a point above the other of said extensions, said plug having a constricted passage therethrough extending between said tubular extensions, and means in communication with said tubular extensions for indicating the dierence in fluid pressure on opposite sides of the passage.

2. In an all glass flow meter, a hollow body having tubular extensions communicating with the interior of the body for connection in a fluid line and an intermediate section of which is provided with a stopper opening, a stopper closing said opening rotatable with respect to said body and having a fluid metering passage therethrough, one end of said passage being permanently in register with one of said extensions irrespective of the rotary position of said stopper and the other end being so located as to be brought into and out of register with the other extension by rotation of the stopper, and means for indicating the difference in fluid pressure on opposite sides of the metering passage.

3. In an all glass flow meter, a hollow body having a side opening with a tubular extension for connection in a fluid line and having end openings, one of which has a tubular extension for connection in a fluid line, readily replaceable rotatable means extending into the remaining end opening to close the same, said means having a metering passage therethrough one end of which can be brought into and out of registe with one of said tubular extensions by rotation of said means and the other of which remains permanently in register with the other tubular extension, and means for indicating the difference in pressure on oppositesides of the metering passage.

4. In an all glass ow meter, a hollow body having end openings and a side opening, tubular branches in communication with one end opening and the side opening of the body, a readily replaceable hollow member for closing the other end opening, said member having a plurality of apertures through a wall thereof and being movable to selectively bring any aperture into register with the side opening to selectively restrict the ilow of a fluid between said tubular branches. and means in communication with said tubular branches for indicating any difference in pressure therein.

5. In an all glass ilow meter, a hollow body having tubular extensions in communication therewith l,for connection of the meter in a fluid line, a valve interposed in said body between its tubular extensions having metered passages in permanent communication with one of said tubular extensions and which by rotation of the valve relative to the body may be selectively brought into register with the .other of said tubular extensions, and means in communication with said tubular extensions for indicating any difference in pressure therein.

VANCE E. HOFFMAN. EVERETT F. KELM. 

